Adam Lambert loses to Kris Allen

OK, since no one else on this site is willing to mention it, the huge news that you've probably already heard today is that Adam Lambert lost American Idol last night to Kris Allen.

I didn't watch any of the show this season and whoever owns AI has been rather fastidious about removing meaningful clips of it from YouTube, so I'm going to have to just concede the obvious: Adam Lambert lost because he was gay and the Christian vote preferred Kris Allen. There's just no other explanation as to how there could be an upset in a singing contest judged by millions of 14-year-olds with no taste.

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Alex, collusion by Christians might make good paranoia, but you've overlooked an even more obvious possibility.

Chris is a nice kid, a nice pop-vocalist. Adam is a ball of fire, with a voice to match.

Personally, I think the fix was in to give the title to the "nice kid" because everyone on the show, and all the music industry types behind it, know full-well that it's Adam who's going to have the blockbuster career.

Well and I know all those 70 yo christian right grannies know how to text message so well. I hope they took lots of their arthritis meds before they started doing all that texting or their fingers are going to be really sore right now.

Grannies are not the only christians out there; I have a whole extended family full of the blighters and I have no doubt they would vote for the christian over the heathen. Look at it this way: Danny Gokey (a huge christian vote puller) left in third place. Where do those christian votes go to once he is gone? Adam Lambert, the flamboyantly gay yet consummate entertainer or Kris Allen, the good christian boy and decent singer.

Let's face it, American Idol is not about who is the best, it's about who the majority of America would like to see in the winner circle, and clearly the majority of America is still very small minded and overlooked exceptional talent to put the mediocre contestant in the winning spot.

Kris won because Arkansas is in the buckle of the Bible Belt, AI played up his Christian roots, the voters who supported Danny Gokey (another Christian whose religion was played up) would switch to Kris, and Idol voting is determined by multiple text messaging from AT&T subscribers (Anyone can call in ten times, but only AT&T folks can text in ten times, and few people will endure the busy signals necessary to call in twice, let alone ten times). Tween girls text more than anyone and AT&T's largest subscriber base is in the South.

Then, add in that Adam's from San Diego, where the natural hometown support most Idols would get is offset by the cultural conservatives in San Diego who may not even watch or ever vote on Idol, but this time they damn sure weren't going to let a "theater fag" win the contest (They've lost so many cultural battles lately...)

It's funny as hell, actually, to have the AI winner so embarrassed that he won ("I'm sorry, Adam deserves this") that it further highlights Idol's (American Southern pre-teen girls') inability to "pick a star" except for Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. Funnier still when Kris looks and sounds like a feeble karaoke contestant singing next to Brian May, Roger Taylor, and the closest thing we've seen to a reincarnation of Freddie Mercury (I've been screaming all season for Adam to sing a Queen song -- does anyone else not feel Freddie's presence when Adam sings?)

Fret not about AI's Lambert snub. In the long run, this will be a great move forward for LGBT when his career is measured in Grammy's and multi-platinum albums, Kris's is measured in returns for future Idol guest performances, and everyone can see that talent trumps homophobia.

This is one reason why the gay community, if you can call it a community, never gets anywhere. The Christian fundies were able to have solidarity in their ranks and make SURE that the gay guy didn't win whereas otherwise most would not have even watched the show. They DID NOT vote for Kris because they thought he had the most talent, they voted for him to make sure Adam didn't win. The gay community can't even get off their f***ing asses and call in en mass like the fundies did, if they had Adam would have won. You can't say the Christian fundies aren't intelligent, they are as sharp as a tack, all over the media they were attacking him on his sexuality and also there WERE churches strongly urging support against the gay guy. The gay community is so fragmented it makes me sick. Sure its just another stupid talent show but if Adam had won, it would have shown solidarity within the gay community and would have also shown america we are a force to be reckoned with and that we do have power. It could also have shown the politicians that finally Mainstream America didn't care about a persons sexuality and maybe would have caused them to re-think their views about pandering to those christian bigots. But NO, even some gays here didn't even show their support last night, its pathetic when gay people can't even come together to support one of their own in a talent show. How in the world do we think we can ever make any progress in the political arena if we can't even unite in something as simple as this.

This could have been an opportunity for gay america to have a gay and out celebrity, maybe celebrity is too strong a word, but even so this IS a major show with many americans and it would give the gay community someone who could be a positive role model to follow, since this is a mainstream American show. But NO, silly queens are all around saying, well I like Kris better, well WHO CARES, thats not the damn point!!!! I myself could care less about either of them, but I can see the positive impact his winning would have for the gay community whether other narrow minded queens can see it or not. This was a rare missed opportunity and no matter what anyone says, it WOULD have had a positive impact on their lives in many different areas such as policies being made based on PUBLIC OPINION. This would have shown politicians that things aren't as uptight as they thought things to be but instead it lets every political figure know that America just isn't ready for a Gay Icon. Sure its great that Adam went as far as he did, and that in itself is something to be proud of, and he probably will do BETTER than if he had won. But that isn't the point and I've grown tired trying to explain it to people who just never will "get it"

Well, all I know is this: I don't watch these shows, but my mother does and calls in (for the Canadian Idol, anyway). Mom's rabidly Pentecostal.

Celebrity's always had a certain amount of need to cater to the Christian and larger wholesome sects. Sure, a Marilyn Manson might come along once in awhile and make it simply because they buck the trend, but in the big money world of pop, there's always the Christian element that determines whether the local easy-listening station can play a song, determines whether their kids can buy the disc, etc. Even Elvis had to do the occasional gospel album when he'd stray too far from favour. The more things change, the more they stay the same and all.

I won't go so far as to say there was any Fundie conspiracy to make it happen (not until I see the action alerts, anyway), but do believe there is a far larger number of folks in the religious right than in GLBT circles who will be worshipping Idols.

OMG! I knew this would be coming if he lost. Why does everything have to be about sexuality????? What if people, like me, just happened to prefer the less polished, more "real" Kris over Adam's over-the-top, just-too-damn-much style? As a gay man, was I expected to vote for and support Adam just because he's gay? If that's the case, then count me out. Does Adam have a broader range? Yes. Can he hit notes that may or may not even exist? Yes. Does that mean I have to prefer him over someone who can put emotion into a song and make me want to hear it? No. Listening to Adam Lambert wore me out, quite frankly. Each performance was like a vocal olympic event in which he felt he had to prove just how far he could push it. I don't think I could listen to an entire album of that. Kris, on the other hand, promises to make good, solid entertainment and I look forward to hearing his work in the future. I do not, for one second, believe that Adam Lambert's rightful place as American Idol winner was "snatched" from him because of any conspiracy or because he was being discriminated against because of his sexuality. I believe that more people simply preferred Kris Allen. Just as we can't simply roll over and accept discrimination and being put down, we must also avoid the mistake of crying "it's because we're gay!" every time something doesn't go our way.

Bruce, I am one of those that preferred Kris. I voted for Kris (thank goodness for an auto-dialing phone). Obviously my vote was not based on Adam's sexuality. I believe no one's should have been. Had that been the case, Adam wouldn't have gotten very far to begin with.

I guess I just don't understand why people are getting upset about this. I watch the show every year- thank god for my DVR because each week I can watch the show in about 15 minutes.

Adam Lambert lost, and most likely for him, if the history of the show is a barometer, that's a good thing.

As a gay person, I am not required to vote for someone just because that person is gay. Should black folks be slewing invectives because their was no black person in the final four this year?

At the end of the day, its a reality show. And one that is well past its prime. I would hope that the people that are so up in outrage about Adam's loss, will be even more outraged the next time some gender-bending LGBT person is beat to a bloody pulp on some sidewalk in America.

I have lots of reasons to be angy, but American Idol is not one of them. And count me with Bo, as one of those LGBT people who detested Adam since the beginning, and voted for Kris. I didn't detest Adam b/c he was gay, but simply because he screeches every song out in decibels that makes blood run from my ears. Different strokes for different folks.

But this is not a reason for some White Night riots part two. I can think of plenty, but not this, at least for me.

I'M NOT outraged over the fact Adam didn't win, what I feel such utter contempt for is the fact that we as a group of people are so utterly fragmented we can't even have the slightest bit of solidarity among us. You can BET, whether you would or not, that IF there had never been an African American person to win AI, that the Black community would have rallied around in droves to support the Black contestant and ensure their win, just as the Christian fundies did with their call in's to vote AGAINST the gay contestant. They could have CARED LESS whether or not Kris could sing, that wasn't the issue. The issue isn't about who wins some silly TV show. And most of all what's upsetting is not being able to get thru to people like YOU who seem intelligent enough to look at the big picture and realize the ramification of things.

I really enjoyed this season of American Idol. This is the first year that I actually tuned in almost every week. The finale was great and almost every idol finalist’s performance was amazing. Matt Giraud was great and of course I loved Allison’s performance. Also Lil’s performance with Queen Latifah was surprisingly amazing. I can’t wait to download “Cue the Rain.”
I’m actually not shocked that Kris won. I’m proud of him and everyone knows that Adam is going to make a huge name for himself, just like Jennifer Hudson (who wasn’t even the runner-up) or probably bigger.

Ah the joy of the night shift I can miss this kind of show and no I wont waste my DVR on this kind of stuff.Who besides Kelly Clarkston has gone on to be a singer with a real carrier in the music industry?Hm better yet who else has won?Vote for me cause im gay hmm nope id never do that either.

Ah the joy of the night shift I can miss this kind of show and no I wont waste my DVR on this kind of stuff.Who besides Kelly Clarkston has gone on to be a singer with a real carrier in the music industry?Hm better yet who else has won?Vote for me cause im gay hmm nope id never do that either.

Alex, I agree with your conclusions. Even Kris Allen was totally floored by the result. Let me edit one part: the perpetrators are conservative Christians, or, even more accurate, so-called Christians. A significant part of the Church believes that GLBT folk are also created in the image of God. Witness the active inclusion the United Church of Christ made plain in their advertising series a year or so ago. UCC traces most of its roots to the Pilgrims of the Plymouth colony.
Witness the metropolitan Community Church that is around 95% homosexual.

I am a gay white man who watched American Idol. I was pulling for Adam but this was a popularity contest, not a gay/straight issue. Kris got the votes from those who liked Danny, voted out the previous week. I might suggest these two young singers, with their different styles and demeanor would be quite successful touring together. It could be called the Good Boy/Bad Boy tour. All those millions of 14 yr olds would flock to see them.

I love Adam's workj and decided to make him the real winner by purchasing some of the songs and videos on iTunes yesterday. That being said,
Kris is a talented guy. I liked that he played the guitar and piano, as well as sang.

I think that the sexuality and christianity aspects didn't have as much an impact as some suggest. I think that Kris just hit the show's demographic more straight on. No pun intended.

I have to agree with you on this. If you look at past winners they were big losers in life. Usually the others have made it big. Adam will be one of the big ones. He won't be lost in the title of American Idol.